Mark 12: 28-34

One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: “Which is most important of all the commandments?”

Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”

The religion scholar said, “A wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate—that God is one and there is no other. And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that’s better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!”

When Jesus realised how insightful he was, he said, “You’re almost there, right on the border of God’s kingdom.”

After that, no one else dared ask a question.

Gospel Reflection

How do I strive to love my family members, my neighbour, my co-workers or someone I happen to meet on the street?  Do I consciously strive to love every person I encounter, even the individuals I may not like?

Hopefully, the time we spend with God each day makes us more aware of the people we encounter every day.   God’s love for us and our love for God should flow out from us to the individuals and the people with whom we interact, work and live.

Today I invite you to be mindful of the people you encounter.  Strive to be loving and kind to every individual with whom you interact.  You may find that other people will be loving and kind to you also.  “What goes around typically comes around!”